Keith Rose-Innes - Operations Director and Guide

Keith has been at the forefront of establishing the remote atolls of the Seychelles firmly in the world fly fishing calendar for the past eleven years. He has over 25 years of fishing experience in different venues across the globe. After qualifying in advertising Keith started pursuing a full time career in the fishing industry.

His fishing and guiding portfolio is extensive and includes amongst others Fifteen atolls in the Seychelles, four years of  Atlantic Salmon guiding on Ponoi River, Russia where he ended up as head guide, Siberia, England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany, USA, Mexico, Cuba, Clipperton Island and closer to home Sao Tome, Kenya, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, Angola, Madagascar and South Africa.

He is a highly energetic individual whose die-hard attitude and in-depth fishing knowledge makes him an integral part of the FlyCastaway team. Fishing with him is an experience not to forget. 

Where it all started
The first time Keith can remember holding a fly rod was at the age of five, standing next to his grandfather, Harry Stewart, who had been tying flies and fly fishing since the age of 15. This was to be his first taste of his 70 years fishing experience that was to be passed on to him. During his school years he traveled extensively throughout Africa, fishing many destinations with his father.

At the age of 17, he captained the South African Junior Rock and Surf Angling Team. At the age of 20 he left for the UK and worked at Farlows of Pall Mall for two years, the oldest fly fishing store in Europe, while traveling and fly fishing all over the world.

My Passion 
The thrill of a new trip can‘t be beaten, the excitement and expectations of what will happen; the hope for something extra-ordinary, to see explosive takes from fish that have never seen the fly before, and to push the limits of both fish, fisherman and fishing tackle. Whether it’s Spey-casting in the Artic circle or line striking on the equator, there is nothing more satisfying than sharing in the excitement of client who has had their expectations fulfilled.

 Gerhard Laubscher - Managing Director & Guide

Gerhard is the central hub and leader of the FlyCastaway team. After graduating from the University of Pretoria (Information Science and Psychology) he pursued his passion for the fishing industry. His saltwater fishing and guiding has taken him to all the outer atolls of the Seychelles, St Brandon’s, Madagascar, the entire coastline of Mozambique, Kenya, Angola and Gabon. His focus on Southern Africa’s indigenous freshwater species like Tigerfish and Yellowfish has made him a forerunner in these fields. He was instrumental in the development of the patterns and techniques for Largemouth Yellowfish.

Over the years conservation of our natural resources has become one of his primary objectives. His attention to detail and in-depth knowledge of Africa and her fish species ensures that FlyCastaway will stay cutting edge.

Gerhard has been fly fishing since the age of 13. After finishing school in 1994 he guided and managed a small fly tackle shop in Dullstroom, before heading off to the University of Pretoria where he studied information science, psychology and publishing.

Subsequently he has guided and hosted fly fishing trips to destinations all over Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands including all the outer atolls of the Seychelles and West Africa. On the freshwater side he has extensively guided on the Vaal and Zambezi Rivers and has an intricate understanding of Yellowfish and Tigerfish. He has designed numerous freshwater and saltwater fly patterns that are used all over the world today. 

Gerhard has done pioneering work in decoding South Africa’s biggest scaled freshwater fish the Largemouth Yellowfish. His fly fishing travels have taken him all over Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands.

Where it all started
I was exposed to the wonders of the great outdoors at a young age, and through the guidance of my father learned the value of conservation. I learned that each ecosystem had its own charm and secrets that fascinated the young and old mind alike. It was inevitable that a lifetime pursuit of the great outdoors was waiting for me. Water held the greatest attraction for me, along with the almost mythical creatures that inhabit it. Today fly fishing is my medium of choice, the eyes through which I look at nature, and fish and water have become my subjects.

My Passion 
Every day I spend on the water I learn something new, whether it is a small mountain stream high up in a remote section of the Drakensberg, the tropical rain forest of West Africa, or a sand flat on a desolate coral atoll somewhere in the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean. Fly fishing takes me to the most beautiful places in the world, and through the years has exposed me to some of the most fascinating eco-systems known to man. It is this passion for the ecosystems around us, and the conservation of them that I would like to expose the world to.   

Dirk was introduced to fly fishing by his grandfather, a naturalist who instilled the values of environmnetal protection at an early age. Fishing has become a way of life for him and he has managed to successfully engineer his favorite pastime into his business activities. There are few destinations and species which Dirk has not been privileged to visit and angle for. He is a Trustee of the Endangered Wildlife Trust and campaigns for the protection of our indigenous fish species. His passion for the fishing tourism industry is aimed at broadening the base of environmentally sensitive fisherman by creating access to the world’s most pristine and productive fishing locations. Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  

Paul has guided in many Southern African countries as well as on the outer islands and atolls of the Seychelles such as, Farquhar, Assumption, Cosmoledo, Astove and Providence. Before joining FlyCastaway he was based on Alphonse Island for two seasons. Paul is a keen fly tier and has several successful fly patterns to his name. such as the Karate Crab which has proven to be deadly in many saltwater flats situations. E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Paul has got prolific experience on fresh water fly fishing and has done extensive guiding for species, like Yellowfish, Tigerfish, Catfish, Trout, Bass, and Carp. He has also guided and fished the flats and blue water around the African continent and the remote atolls and islands of the Indian Ocean.

Paul was based on Aphonse Island for two seasons, and he has also guided on islands and atolls, such as, Farquhar, Assumption, Cosmoledo, Astove and Providence to name but a few.
Paul is a keen fly tyer and has several, successful fly patterns to his name.

Where it all started
“As far back as I can remember fishing has been my passion, Norman Mclane summarised it best in his novel A River Runs Through It…“I am haunted by waters”. I think that this line explains me the best, because of my passion for fly fishing and love for water.

The thing that drew me to fly fishing was being able to decipher feeding habits and create fly patterns which resemble the different prey of the different target fish species."

My Passion 
Fly fishing has taken me to some of the most remote and wildest places and have witnessed the most bizarre things whilst being there. Images spring to mind of me trying to tail a 150cm plus Giant Trevally whilst having to kick off a much bigger fish that was trying to eat it, or being ankle tapped by a GT while running over shallow water between two clients that were both fighting fish. During my time in the Seychelles I have also had the privilege of developing fly patterns and techniques to target successfully target Parrot fish.”

Tim Babich - Guide

Fishing has been Tim’s life long passion, it all started when his father exposed him to fly fishing at the age of 4. Subsequently Tim has done numerous fly fishing qualification including REFFIS (UK) and THETA (South Africa) before joining the FlyCastaway team in 2006. Apart from his extensive all round angling experience in South Africa, Tim has fished in Kenya, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Seychelles, Namibia and the United Kingdom.

He gets immense satisfaction by sharing his knowledge and passion for fishing with guest. E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Where it all started 
I have been fishing since the young age of 5; I was fortunate enough to be born into an angling family, where fishing was an everyday occurrence. I have spent every possible minute of my life since then trying to better myself in all aspects of angling, whether it be Light tackle boat, bank angling, rock and surf and fly fishing. I have achieved Provincial Colours for the following facets in Angling Light Tackle Boat Juniors, Light Tackle boat Seniors and Skippers for the Ladies Team, Freshwater Seniors Bank Angling, Fly Fishing Seniors A-Team and South African Presidents colours
 
In accordance with accomplishing these achievements I have explored the vast fishing venues to better myself as an angler. Most people have not been lucky enough or should I say as privileged as I have to encounter places such as Kenya, Transkei, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, lower and upper Zambezi, Drakensburg stillwaters and streams, Vaal River, United Kingdom, throughout Mozambique, Namibia and the South African coastline. But who can forget the mind-blowing Seychelles in the Indian Ocean.

I have also been working in the fishing tackle industry for the past four years, which has been an added bonus for me as I have an endless supply to fishing tackle and information. Fishing is a great passion in my life; you could very well say that it is a way of life for me. (A great way of life) We have a saying “ If work interferes with fishing? Then give up work! I am lucky enough to have the best of both worlds, as my work is my fishing.

My Passion
I achieved my REFFIS (Register of Experienced Fly Fishing Instructors) Guiding Instructors qualification in 2004 in the United Kingdom. From that day onwards it has been a non-stop guiding experience. Guiding in South African freshwater has been a great advantage to me as I have spent countless hours attemting to perfect fishing for Yellowfish in particular and other fish species. In saying this, the last three seasons I have spent in Seychelles have without question been the most exciting fishing I have witnessed.

I have learnt a lot over the past 19 years and still find myself learning something new everyday. My main goals in fishing are to better myself everyday with new techniques, share my vast knowledge of fishing with the people that I will be guiding in the future, as well as to instill the need of conserving these magnificent creatures.

 Ryan Hammond - Guide

Ryan has over 15 years fly-fishing experience, having fished and guided a large percentage of Southern Africa’s fresh and saltwater environments. After school Ryan studied Journalism, during which time he began to guide on a part time basis. After receiving his qualification he decided to take up guiding full time and joined the FlyCastaway team.

Ryan is a passionate fly tier and enjoys developing new patterns for all species of fish. E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Where it all started 
"I have been fishing for as long as I can remember. Thankfully my father instilled in me his passion for the outdoors, most notably his love for all types of fishing. The first opportunity I had to handle a fly rod was over 15 years ago and one has seemingly been with me ever since."

My Passion
"This wonderful passion has led me to many exciting and memorable destinations in both my home country of South Africa and further abroad. Whether it was wading my local waters of the Vaal River for our indigenous Yellowfish species or chasing Tigerfish in South Africa’s neighboring countries, the intense desire to fish as many venues as humanly possible has and does continue to grow."

"Whilst completing my BA Journalism, I realized that flyfishing was no longer an intense hobby; it was going to form a way of life for me. Guiding was the obvious path through which to launch a career in the industry. Since then I have guided both locally and abroad for species found in both fresh and saltwater, here in South Africa as well as Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Mozambique and most recently the remote outer atolls of the Seychelles. The last two seasons in Seychelles have opened my eyes in terms of what is truly possible in this wonderful sport. The sheer quality and diversity of fisheries such as Cosmoledo and Providance is something I feel very privelaged to share with other anglers. These two atolls, together with Astove offer all of us a rare insight into how an untouched ecosystem plays out it's daily dramas."

"At the beginning of 2007 I was fortunate enough to become a member of the FlyCastaway team and am currently employed as a full time guide as well as being heavily involved in our new publication ‘The Guides Gazette’.
I look forward to fishing and guiding in as many different environments for a long time to come.
Hope to see you on some distant water!" 

 Jako Lucas - Guide

Jako is a fulltime guide for Flycastaway and has guided extensively throughout Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean.

After finishing school Jako completed his B.Com Marketing from the University of Johannesburg, during which time he fished much of South Africa’s best fresh and saltwater destinations. Jako then moved to the UK and worked for Farlows of Pall Mall, where he continued fishing many UK fisheries including the prestigious River Test. He has also worked for Sportfish at their various fishing shows including the current largest outdoors show at present, The CLA Game Fair.

Jako then joined the FlyCastaway team and has been guiding full time ever since. His guiding resume know includes the outer atolls of the Seychelles, namely Cosmoledo, Providence, Astove, Assumption and Farquar. Jako has also spent a large amount of time guiding for the notorious Tigerfish on the Zambezi River as well as for South Africa’s indigenous Largemouth and Smallmouth Yellowfish on his local waters of the Vaal River.

His light hearted nature and impressive understanding of fish behaviour, has made Jako a real asset to the FlyCastaway guiding team. E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Where it all started

“Waves crashing on the sandy beaches along the South African coastline and fishing alongside my father were my first memories of fishing. Since then, fishing and guiding have become a way of life for me!”

My Passion

“Guiding has brought a hole new dimension to the way I look at fly fishing and apart from catching a fish myself there is no greater satisfaction then seeing a clients face light up when he is connected to a fish he has dreamt of catching. I have many great memories from the water, but one of the most memorable guiding experiences was landing my first two Bumphead Parrotfish in one particular session.

 Corin Smith - Guide

Corin has a broad range of fly fishing experience in both fresh and saltwater. He has fished many locations around the world including Scotland, England, Wales, France, Spain, USA, Canada, Cuba, Australia, New Caledonia, Xmas Island, Seychelles, Angola, South Africa and others. He is a passionate fly caster be it overhead or Spey, single or double hand and is a keen instructor with published articles. He is also a field researcher for a number of rod, line and apparel manufacturers.

I’m often asked by people “When and why did you start fishing?” The honest answer is I don’t know and I’m not sure, it’s just something I’ve always done. I was born and raised on a small sheep farm in the Highlands of Scotland and I’ve spent my life surrounded and fascinated by nature. Fishing has always had a special and enduring allure and I think it’s because of the hidden nature of the quarry. There’s an unending mystery about fishing. Even now, 30 years on I’ll approach a bit of water dreaming about what monsters might lie beneath.

Where it all started 
I’ve always fished with a fly, mainly because it’s what my father and previous generations did and it’s the only tackle I had. But to me fly fishing is so much more than simply the act of catching the fish. You are exposed to technical aspects of casting, product development, ecology, biology, geology, entomology, anthropology and so much more. It takes you places you’d never normally go, lets you communicate with people and connects you with different cultures even when language is a barrier. The learning never ends and new challenges and frontiers are always on the horizon.

My Passion
My current passion is for the large pelagics and refining techniques for finding and catching them on fly in their natural environment, free swimming and behaving normally.